Alain Marchal

CNRS
Laboratoire Parole et Langage
Aix-en-Provence, France

1
Consonants:Physiological complexity

Production of fricatives requires more precision : It
involves a large numner of muscles and systems (much
more complex in that sense) than the production of stops

Fricatives: /s/

Coordinated action of many muscular systems

Concave lingual configuration

Styloglossus, Palatoglossus

Lateral seal

Verticalis, Posterior Genioglossus

Grooved central passageway more difficult to establish
and to maintain

Verticalis, Transverse, Inferior lingual

Forwards and upwards movement of the mandible:

Temporalis, Masseter, Internal and external Pterygoids

Lips spreading:

Buccinator, Zygomaticus major and minor
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Aerodynamic parameters

Direction of airflow

Ingressiv

Egressiv

Mechanism

Pulmonic

Laryngeal

Velaric

Airflow

Central

Lateral

Laminar

Turbulent

Air Pressure

Subglottal pressure

Oral pressure

Transglottal pressure
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Phonetic parameters:
Egressive – Ingressive

Pulmonic

Glottalic

velaric

Physiological parameters:

Pulmonic egressive:
Control of subglottal
pressure= Internal
Intercostals

and accessory
expiratory muscles

in synergy with inhalation
muscles

Pulmonic ingressive (not

used contrastively)
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 Lingual articulatory parameters

Horizontal displacement:

Forward-Backward /
Backward-Forward

Apex


Tongue body

Vertical displacement :

Upwards/Downwards

Downwards-Upwards


Tongue body


Apex

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Lingual articulatory parameters

Transverse cross-
sectionnal configuration:

Convex/concave Tongue
Body
Apex

Surface plan :

Spread-Tapered
Tongue
Dorsum

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Lingual physiological parameters

Horizontal displacement

Forward

Body : + Posterior Genioglossus ; Anterior
Digastricus ;Suprahyoids -Infrahyoids

Apex : +Transverse ; Posterior Genioglossus

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Lingual physiological parameters

Backward vezbaj

Body : +Styloglossus +Anterior Genioglossus

;Superior and Middle Constrictor of the
Pharynx -Thyrohyoid

Apex : +Longitudinal ;Hyoglossus (post) vezbaj

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 Lingual physiological parameters

Vertical displacement:

Upwards

Body : +Styloglossus
+Palatoglossus -inferior
Lingual

Apex : +Superior Lingual
;Posterior Genioglossus

Downwards

Body : +Hyoglossus ;
Infra-hyoïd

Apex : +Inferior Lingual
+Anterior Genioglossus

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 Lingual physiological parameters

Configuration :

Concave:

Body : +Styloglossus +Palatoglossus
+Transverse -Hyoglossus

Apex : +Transverse +Vertical

;Styloglossus ;Palatoglossus

-Inferior Lingual

Convex:

Body : +Hyoglossus ;Inferior Lingual

Spread:
Dorsum : +Vertical

Tappered:

Dorsum : +Transverse -Hyoglossus

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Mandibular articulatory parameters
Vertical :
Upwards -Downwards
Horizontal :
Protrusion – Retraction

In fact, vertical+horizontal
displacement result in a
translatory and
rotational movement

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Mandibular physiological parameters
Vertical :
Upwards: +Internal Pterygoid
+Masseter
+Temporalis
;AnteriorDigastricus

Downwards : +External Pterygoid

+Geniohyoid
;Posterior Digastricus
;Mylohyoid ;Platysma
;Genioglossus ;

Horizontal:
Protrusion : +Internal Pterygoid
+External Pterygoid

Retraction : +Temporalis
+Geniohyoid
+Posterior Digastricus
+Mylohyoid
+Genioglossus

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Labial Articulatory Parameters

Aperture :

Vertical :

Open - closed

Horizontal :

Spread – Compressed

Horizontal displacement :

Protruded – Evert

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 Labial Physiological Parameters

Vertical :

Open : +Mentalis
;Depressor Anguli Oris
;Mandibular Depressor --
Orbicularis -Mentalis

closed :

+Orbicularis Oris

;Levator Anguli Oris
;Mentalis ;Mandibular
Elevators

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 Labial Physiological Parameters

Horizontal:

Protruded :
+Orbicularis Oris
;Mentalis ;Platysma

-Buccinator -Risorius

Evert :

+Labii Compressor
+Buccinator
;Orbicularis
;Zygomaticus minor

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Articulatory parameters of the pharynx

Velum :

Vertical

Upwards – Downwards

Tension

Tense – Lax



Pharyngeal walls displacement :

Horizontal

Forward



Pharyngeal wall tension:

Tense - Lax

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Physiological parameters of the pharynx

Velum :

Upwards :

+Levator palatini
+Musculus uvulae

Downwards :
+Palatoglosssus
+Palatopharyngeus



Tension :

+Tensor palatini

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Physiological parameters of the pharynx

Pharyngeal Walls :

Forward :
+Palatopharyngeus
+Salpingopharyngeus
;Stylopharyngeus
;Superior constrictor of
the Pharynx

Tension:
+ inferior, middle ,
Superior constrictors
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Articulatory parameters of the Larynx

Displacements

Vertical : Height of the larynx

Upwards – Downwards



Medial Plane : Glottal Aperture

Adduction – Abduction



Vocal Folds :

Length

Tension

Compression



Ventricular Folds : ? 46
 Physiological parameters of the larynx

Height of the larynx :

Extrinsic laryngeal muscles

Upwards : Suprahyoid
muscles stisni

Downwards : Infrahyoid
muscles stisni

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Physiological parameters of the larynx

Upwards : +Posterior
Digastricus +Geniohyoid
+Mylohyoid
+Stylopharyngeus
+Pharyngostaphyline
;Posterior Genioglossus
;Hyoglossus ;Stylohyoid
;Middle Pharyngeal
Constrictor



Downwards :
+Sternocleidohyoid
+Omohyoid
+Sternothyroid
;Thyrohyoid

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Physiologial parameters

Glottal aperture :
Abduction :
+Posterior Cricoarytenoid
Adduction :
+Lateral Cricoarytenoid
+Interarytenoids
;External Thyroarytenoid
;Aryepiglottic
;Thyroepiglottic

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Physiological parameters of the larynx

Vocal Folds :

Lengthening : +Posterior Cricoarytenoid

Shortening : +Cricothyroid pars recta

Tension :

Tense : +Cricothyroid pars obliqua +Inferior Thyroarytenoid

Lax : +Superior Thyroarytenoid
Compression: +Lateral Cricoarytenoid + oblique Interarytenoids


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EMG data in the literature

Voicing control

Voicing:

Vocalis, Cricothyroid, Lateral Cricothyroid, Interarytenoids

Devoicing:

Posterior Cricoarytenoid, Sternohyoid

Nasalization

Palatoglossus, Palatopharyngeus

Oral

Levator palatini, Musculus Uvulae, Middle and Superior
Constrictors of the Pharynx

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EMG data in the literature

Vowels

[u]: Styloglossus, Posterior Genioglossus, Posterior
Digastricus, Internal and external Pterygoids, Mentalis,
Platysma, Orbicularis Oris, -Buccinator, -Risorius

[o]: Styloglossus, Anterior Genioglossus, Superior
Constrictor of the Pharynx, Internal and external
Pterygoids

[a]: Styloglossus, Anterior Genioglossus, Inferior
Lingual, Temporalis, Posterior Digastricus, Hyoglossus,
Geniohyoid, Mylohyoid

[i]: Styloglossus, Posterior Genioglossus, Palatoglossus,
Transverse, Verticalis, Depressor labii Inferioris,
Buccinator, Zygomaticus Major

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EMG – Elementatry Motor patterns

[i]: Coactivation of the Anterior and Posterior parts of
the Genioglossus

[æ]: Coactivation of the Anterior Genioglossus and the

Hyoglossus

[u]: Coactivation of the Posterior Genioglossus and the

Styloglossus

[ɑ]: Coactivation of the Hyoglossus and the

Styloglossus

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EMG data in the literature

Consonants: Stops

Palatals:

Closure: Styloglossus, Palatoglossus

Release: Hyoglossus, Infrahyoid muscles

Alveolars:

Closure: Posterior genioglossus, Superior Lingual, Stylohyoid

Release: Anterior Genioglossus, Inferior Lingual

Bilabials:

Closure: Orbicularis, Masseter, Internal and external
Pterygoid, Digastricus, Temporalis, Levator Anguli Oris,
Mentalis, Zygomaticus Major

Release: Depressor Labii Inferioris, Platysma, Levator Labii
Superioris Alaeque Nasi

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EMG data in the literature

Fricatives:

[f, v]: Internal and external Pterygoid, Zygomaticus
Minor and Major, Buccinator, Temporalis, Orbicularis,
Risorius

[s, z]: Anterior Genioglossus, External Pterygoid,

-Inferior Lingual

ʃ,ʒ ]: Styloglossus, Palatoglossus, Transverse,

[ʃ
temporalis, -Hyoglossus

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Coordinative structures of speech: coupling of
systems

Vocal tract length:

Lip-Jaw-Larynx

Aperture

Jaw and Tongue

Larynx height

Jaw, Tongue, larynx

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Conluding remarks

Intrinsic and extrinsic lingual muscles can work
relatively independently

The two muscle groups can seemingly be correlated
with the two most basic categories of Vowels and
Consonants

Intrinsic muscles are located entirely within the body of
the tongue; they alter the shape of the tongue in a fine-
tuned manner

For consonants

Extrinsic muscles have their origin outside the tongue;
they alter the gross position of the body of the tongue

For vowels

Orthogonal relationship of extrinsic antagonist muscles for
aperture and anteriority contrast
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Concluding remarks

Stops vs Fricatives

Stops are produced with ballistic muscular contraction.
« all or nothing maneuver », with saturation effect

Fricatives require a more delicate neural control: balance
between the activities of protagonist and antagonist
muscles groups

This distinction is reflected in the acquistion order of
consonants by children

Stops/Taps

Difference in the rate of muscular contraction

Taps/Trill

Airstream mechanism
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